Service code basics: the 46 standard California SDP codes explained

Service codes are the spine of California's Self-Determination Program. They define what services a participant is authorized to receive, what rate each service is billed at, and who can deliver each service. Every timesheet, every vendor invoice, every budget calculation traces back to a service code.

The big picture

California's standard SDP service code set covers roughly 46 codes across a handful of broad categories. The exact list lives in the Department of Developmental Services schedule; Regional Centers can authorize a subset for any given participant based on their IPP (Individual Program Plan).

How the categories break down

At a high level, you'll see codes grouped roughly like this:

• Direct support services — personal assistance, behavioral support, daily-living support. These are typically delivered by individual workers on a per-hour basis with EVV requirements.
• Specialized therapies — speech, occupational, physical, behavioral therapies provided by credentialed vendors. Often billed per-session, with vendor-side documentation requirements.
• Community-based services — community integration, day programs, employment supports. Mix of worker-delivered and vendor-delivered.
• Transportation — non-medical transportation to support participation in community life. Mileage-based or per-trip.
• Goods and supports — adaptive equipment, assistive technology, consumable supplies authorized through the IPP.

What this means for FMS operations

Every worker assignment and every vendor invoice references a specific service code. That code drives three things:

1. Authorization check — is the participant actually authorized for this service?
2. Rate check — does the billed rate match the authorized rate (or state cap)?
3. Budget check — is there budget remaining for this service in this period?

Doing those checks manually across a participant base of 50+ is the kind of work that breaks down at scale. FMSLio runs them automatically — on timesheet submission, on vendor invoice submission, and on budget visibility surfaces for participants and ARs.